Chapter One
The Sacred
The Word was in the beginning,
And that very Word was with God,
And God was that Word
The same was in the beginning with God
Everything came to be by his hand;
And without him not even one
Thing that was created came to be.
The life was in him, and the life
Is the light of men.
And the same light shines in darkness,
And the darkness does not overcome it.
—John 1:1–14
Theologians have often assumed the Word, spoken of in the book of John, was Jesus. This confuses Jesus with the 'Christ.' The Greek word logos, the Word, means Divine Mind in action—the divine archetypal idea of perfect man. 'Christ' is not a person but the degree of stature obtained by Jesus who became the perfect man.
The Word becomes flesh, and the Word becomes the Son of God in the consciousness of man. The consciousness of most men is dark, so it cannot understand or believe in the Son of God. But to those who can understand, to those who have some measure of spiritual intuition, to them the Son of God can be realized.
Because of this spiritual relationship with God, man is one with his Creator even though at some point he leaves his Father's house, becoming a Prodigal. He was not satisfied to share the gifts of the Father and wanders off from the Divine 'I' to the personal sense of 'I'—the ego. Without Divine protection, he is trying to make his way in this world utilizing his own efforts, intelligence, and strength. He is failing and too proud to admit it.
This is the story of the human race.
At some point, life becomes a struggle to return 'home' to the Father's house—to become complete and whole again. This struggle is interpreted by the ego as a desire for 'more and better' to make him feel connected again. The material world offers no solution. Alcohol, drugs, and worldly possessions may give a quick glimpse of wholeness . . . but it never lasts and always disappoints.
The spiritual journey starts when he understands that everything created by the five senses is an illusion and can never fulfill. The five senses cannot attract 'living water.' The spiritual journey begins when he realizes there are not two powers in the world—good and evil—but one . . . the Power of God.
In olden times, wise men and women spent lifetimes delving into the depths of their minds to examine the sacred unknown. This is the unknown of the mind and all that precedes it and produces it—the Self, soul, or Christ-consciousness.
Today, very few spend time going through the narrow door and down the narrow spiritual road. Because you are reading this book, you are one of the few who believe that to understand yourself as a spiritual being is far more important than your development as a materialistic person. What you have is of no real importance.
There is only one thing in this universe of great importance—a pearl of great value. The Truth is that one thing. It is in the pursuit of Christ-consciousness that we start to discover that Truth. Within that Truth is the perfection of God's creation.
The story of Jesus in the New Testament speaks of the attainment of Christ-consciousness. Jesus gave us a map. It appears in Matthew 5 and is called the beatitudes. Part Three of this book presents the beatitudes as a guide toward enhanced spiritual consciousness. However, it requires the grace of God to fulfill the movement of the spirit within us.
Christ-consciousness releases one from all material concerns and from all fear and doubt. Christ-consciousness releases one from the fear of death. As life never had a beginning, what we call death is really just entering another phase of life.
Christ-consciousness is 'Oneness' with our source. If you first seek the Kingdom of God, all you need will be given to you. We are already and always one with God. It is a matter of realization. When we are one with our Source, we bear fruit richly. Jesus is the vine. We are the branches. God works the garden.
What if you could exist in a space where there is no time or conflict and be at peace with everything in and around you? What if you could stay in faith, in the moment in the right hemisphere of your brain and experience the perpetual calmness of mind? (See the table on page 45.) What if your belief in the God of your understanding was so great that there were absolutely no doubts that your every need would be provided for and all you needed to do was be the best you can in the moment? It is in these moments that one might hear the still, silent voice of God.
Haven't you always gotten what you needed? Certainly not what you wanted but what was required to sustain life. But yet we still spend much of our time worrying about the future, about paying college tuition, mortgages, and what might happen if you die and are not around to take care of everyone else's needs.
The present moment is never intolerable. What is intolerable is what we believe might happen in the next minutes, hours, and days. Having your body right here and your mind someplace else is intolerable. The future is an illusion, and there is no such thing as security. But think of how much life we miss by lounging in the past and projecting into the future. One we cannot change, and the other we cannot predict.
This book is largely about 'what is'—the only thing that is. It is this precious moment, being connected to everything around you, experiencing peace, beauty, and love without motive. It is about a realization beyond the limited perspective of the ego and its misery and suffering—'what is' being converted by the ego into 'what should be,' 'ought to be,' and 'could have been if only.' It is about the realization more and more that your life can be lived in the peaceful moment.
You might be thinking this could not possibly be true or even achievable. Well, you might be right about the achievable part as you cannot acquire this lovely peace of mind—you already have it! It is your gift from a loving God. It is the Christ in you waiting to be realized.
When we were young, we were close to 'the feeling.' Do you remember when life was so vibrant? Spending so much time in the moment and not wanting to be anyone else or be anyplace else? It is a state of perfection that comes easier to the young than to the old. Over the years, we lost 'the feeling.' I am not exactly sure when it happened to me—late childhood or early adolescence it seems. From that point on, I looked for 'the feeling' everywhere except for where it can be found.
Nothing outside of us can really, truly deliver this 'feeling.' Oh, we can get glimpses of it from alcohol, drugs, sex, and other pleasures such as new cars and houses. However, these feelings fade quickly and are a fulfillment of desire and not a true source of happiness.
The spiritual journey is about getting 'the feeling' back or at least becoming aware of it again. It is about silence, solitude—being in the moment and appreciating all of the beauty around us. It is the realization that the world is perfect—a perfect opportunity to learn what we are here to learn in this lifetime. Above all, it is the appreciation of our true selves—our Christ-consciousness—and our connection to God in each moment.
©2014 Cardwell C. Nuckols,. All rights reserved. Reprinted from Finding Freedom Through Illumination: Achieving Christ-Consciousness. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the written permission of the publisher. Publisher: Health Communications, Inc., 3201 SW 15th Street, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442.
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